We'll Talk Later
by diablosflame
Summary: After the War of the Spark, Chandra is feeling lost and searches out Nissa who has some emotional baggage of her own. Maybe together the two of them can work things out. A short fiction that might have more parts if more are requested. Am interested in writing some on Zendikar if I continue it. Thanks for reading.


The battle was over. Surprisingly, our heroes had been victorious, though the victory did not come without loss. Many lay dead on the field, Ravnicans and Planeswalkers alike. There were few shouts of joy over the victory, little noise to commemorate the fall of a god. Just a somber moment of recollection and, for many, a moment of anguish at what they had lost.

The Planeswalker Samut, native to the harsh deserts of Amonkhet that had once been the primary base of the now defunct god, stood stoically as the two pyromancers, the elder Jaya Ballard and the younger Chandra Nalaar, did the somber task of laying the Eternals to their final rest. The heat rose from the falmes and in that heat Samut whispered the name of the Survivor God, Hazoret. "Go with the Gods, my friends."

The last of the Eternal bodies burned away leaving the smoking husks of their lazotep on the ground. Samut first faced Jaya, then Chandra and shook their hands with a grasp that seemed weak next to her usual, wiry grip. "Thank you. You don't know what this means to me."

Jaya politely lowered her head. "Of course. Let us know if we can be of further assistance." Samut nodded in ascent and slumped away from the flames leaving the two pyromancers alone. Jaya reached across and placed a gentle hand on Chandra's shoulder, feeling the young woman tense at the unexpected touch. "Are you going to be okay?"

Chandra nodded her head in a way that left Jaya feeling less than convinced. "Yeah, I'm just tired from the fight with Dovin."

"Just remember that you have friends. Don't think you have to carry it all yourself."

"I know." Chandra turned to meet Jaya's eyes and she could see the weariness in them. Whether it was the fighting, the funeral pyres or the feeling of loss all around, something was weighing heavily on her. "Thanks, Jaya."

Chandra turned away as the last of the fires died out and left the area feeling dark and oppressive. She looked around her trying to find Nissa but she wasn't in sight. Several blocks away from the ruins of Bolas' former Citadel she ran into Jace, who shared the heavy look on her face.

"Chandra." He greeted her simply. "That was a good thing you did for Samut."

"Yeah, well..." She rubbed the back of her head with her hand, "it doesn't seem like I've been good for much else today."

"Chandra," Jace's face was unmoving but his voice was very low, "you defeated Dovin Baan and deactivated the Immortal Sun. Without either of those things Bolas would have won for sure. If anybody is useless here, it was me. Bolas had my number the entire time."

Chandra didn't immediately respond, instead letting the wind blowing through the rubble all around them and distant sounds of voices shouting for loved ones or crying over them to be her answer. She looked around her at the destruction that the War of the Spark had wrought; buildings destroyed, bodies strewn about and a massive Citadel devoted to the greed of one being. One Planeswalker. She didn't blame the Ravnicans for mistrusting them. "It doesn't feel like we won. Does it?"

Jace shook his head. "No, it doesn't." Silence surrounded them for what felt like long minutes before Jace broke it. "Nissa's over by the remains of Vitu-Ghazi."

Chandra held her hand towards him, a gesture that he tentatively returned. When he touched her hand she grabbed it and pulled him into a close hug, catching the reclusive mind mage off guard. "Don't beat yourself up, Jace. We all did what we could."

He slowly nodded his head and the two walked passed each other. As Jace had said, Chandra found Nissa at the corpse of what was formerly Vitu-Ghazi, the World Tree of Ravnica. Nissa turned her head to Chandra as she approached and stood next to her. "Hey."

All around the tree were other mourners from the Selesnya Conclave. Many were elves, but there were also humans, dryads, centaurs and large elephant like creatures they called loxodon. They all seemed to share two things in common; a near worship of the ancient tree and a disgust with Nissa Revane. Nissa seemed to be holding up pretty well regardless of the angry stares and muttered words that were being said around her. Her eyes were closed and her lips slightly parted in a meditation of sorts. When Chandra stepped next to her, she opened her bright green eyes but her face remained stoic. "Do you think they'll ever forgive me?"

Chandra wanted to comfort her, wanted to tell her that everything was going to be fine, wanted to assure her that if any of these life-churchers wanted to harm her she would burn them all to ash. She didn't have an answer, though. "It'll take a while, but maybe. Trees do grow, right?" A smile creased across her face, feeling blasphemous in the solemn evening. "You did look like a badass, though."

Their eyes met and, for the first time since Gideon's sacrifice, she saw the elf woman crack a smile. "You always know what to say to cheer me up."

Chandra shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? I'm good like that." Nissa returned to her silent vigil before Chandra reachout out her hand and gently touched Nissa's hand. "Let's go for a walk." Nissa nodded and Chandra was surprised when her hand was grasped by slender elven fingers and they walked away from the world tree in the direction of the Tenth District.

The two walked together through the ruined streets. They were not alone, as there were scavengers out looting the bodies of the fallen, survivors trying to make their way to safer parts of the city and lights inside still standing buildings where Ravnicans gathered together to celebrate their victory. The two of them rounded a corner, their walk silent for the most part, each of them merely enjoying the company of the other, when Nissa spotted a rare sight of green this deep in the city. It was a small park, left relatively unscathed in the fighting and Nissa guided them in that direction.

Nissa sat on the ground with her legs folded beneath her while Chandra fell to the dirt and reclined on her elbown, her face turned up to the night sky that only hours ago had been lit by the sparks of dead planewalkers. Nissa became pensive as they sat before finally breaking the comforable silence. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry, Chandra. I'm sorry that I left."

Chandra kept her eyes skyward as she, too, grew pensive. A rarity for the headstrong planeswalker. _Maybe Jaya's lessons are starting to get to me. _""You left when we were at our lowest point. You left when we were hurting." She turned her head to look at Nissa, her eyes vibrant in the cold night air. "You left when I was hurting."

"I couldn't stand that woman and her poisonous influence." Nissa's face turned up in disgust upon mention of Liliana Vess. "I couldn't watch her corrupt my friends any longer." Nissa lowered her head, her eyes planted firmly on the ground. "Can you forgive me?"

Chandra sat up and reached for Nissa's hand, taking it in her own. "You're here now. That's what's important." Nissa gripped her hand back and Chandra slid in closer to her , her eyes still on the sky above. Things grew quiet and Chandra's thoughts spilled out of her mouth. "I can't belive he's gone."

Nissa held Chandra's hand tightly as the shorter woman leaned against her. "It was very sudden."

Chandra nodded and leaned her head against Nissa, who let her hand go to put her arm around her and hold her close. "Why'd he have to die for her?" Her voice was beginning to crack. "Why'd it have to be him?"

Nissa gently stroked Chandra's hair. "He wouldn't have had it any other way."

Chandra tried to laugh but what came out was light sobs. Her eyes brimmed with tears and in the comfortable arms of Nissa, she let them free. Nissa calmly stroked her hair and began sofly humming tune that Chandra didn't recognize. She cried for Gideon, she cried for those who were lost, she cried for her father, but mostly she just cried.

After long minutes, her tears had run their course and her eyes felt dry and puffy. "I know he was important to you." Nissa's voice was calm incarnate as it filtered through Chandra's ears and into her very blood.

"He was ... a good friend. I cared for him." She took a deep breath. Her heart pounded in her chest, the nearness of her almost euphoric in the chilly night air. "Like I care for you." Chandra sat up and caught Nissa's eyes, dancing in the starlight. "I meant it when I said I loved you, you know?"

A smile creased Nissa's usually stoic face as she brought a hand up to cup her cheek. "So did I."


End file.
